Police shoot, kill, armed man in downtown Martinsburg

March 14, 2013

MARTINSBURG - Police shot and killed a man who pulled a knife on officers on South Queen Street late Wednesday night, stabbing one.

According to a release issued by the Martinsburg Police Department, Wayne Arnold Jones, 50, of Stephens City, Va., was stopped by police while walking in the roadway on South Queen Street. He told officers he was carrying a weapon, but would not specify what it was.

Officers ordered Jones to place his hands on the cruiser so the weapon could be removed, according to the release, but Jones refused and became increasingly angry. Officers used a Taser to attempt to gain control of the subject; when it proved ineffective, a second Taser was used.

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Journal photo by Ron AgnirPolice assess the scene of a shooting in downtown Martinsburg late Wednesday night.

Jones remained out of police control and fled to a doorway entrance in the 100 block of South Queen Street, according to the release. There, after Jones refused more verbal commands, officers attempted to restrain him using physical force, according to the release.

While officers were attempting to restrain Jones, he pulled out a knife and stabbed an officer in the torso, forcing officers to back off, according to the release. When Jones continued to disobey orders to drop the knife and attempted to get back to his feet, police used their weapons to "fire multiple rounds into the subject, which neutralized the threat," according to the release.

Ty Kemmerer, who lives in an apartment near the shooting, told The Journal late Wednesday night that he heard police outside his window conducting what he believed to be a traffic stop before the shots were fired.

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"I looked outside and there was definitely a body on the ground," Kemmerer said. "There was a minimum of four, five police cars, and police hovered around this body."

Medics were contacted and officers attempted life-saving techniques, according to the release, but they were unsuccessful.

The officer who was stabbed suffered a minor wound that did not require medical attention, although the knife penetrated his vest, according to the release.

Five officers were involved in the shooting, and all have been placed on paid administrative leave. The West Virginia State Police is conducting an investigation of the incident.